Improvement in automatic - brake relief-valves



G. WESTINGHOUSE Jr; Automatic-Brake Relief-Valve.

No. 217.838. Paterited July 22, T879.

Jam 3 m@. JQWV f WW 4H c WK w \Y LLLJ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFion.

GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, JR, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC-BRAKE RELIEF-VALVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 217,838, dated July 22,1879; application filed May 21, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE WESTING- HOUSE, J r., of Pittsburg, county ofAllegheny, State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered a new anduseful Improvement in Autom atic-Brake Relief- Valves; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in whichlike letters indicatinglike parts Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a relief -valveapplied to and combined with a coupling of the class described inreissued Patent No. 8,291, granted to me June 18, 1878. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section thereof through the line or a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view, showing the relief-valve applied directly to aported diaphragm in the pipe and Fig. 4 shows in outline the mainelements of an automatic brake of the kind or class to which the presentinvention is particularly applicable.

The present device is more especially designed for use with and as apart of brake apparatus of the class commonly represented by theVestinghouse automatic brake, in which the brake-power available forimmediate use in the brake-cylinders is contained in auxiliaryreservoirs, one under each car. The brake-pipes are also kept full ofair under pressure, in order to keep the reservoirs fully charged, andthe charge of compressed air in the auxiliary reservoirs is brought intoaction in the brake-cylinders by opening an escapeport leading from thebrake or communicating pipes to the external air. A like efiect followswhen the train separates, or couplings become disconnected, or otheraccident ruptures or opens the air conduit pipes. The brakes are thenautomatically applied.

Such an apparatus is partly shown in outline in Fig. 4, wherein mrepresents one of a series of brake-cylinders; m, an auxiliaryreservoir. n is the valve which governs the flow of compressed air fromreservoir to cylinder, and from cylinder to escape. p p are thebrake-pipes; h, the hose, and r the couplings. The main reservoir andoperating-cock on the locomotive are of the usual construction. Therelief-valves are represented at o '0.

It sometimes happens with such brake apparatus, especially in case ofaccident, that material advantage could be effected by having all thebrakes of the train applied or brought into action simultaneously, or asnearly so as possible. To accomplish this it is only necessary to makeprovision for the simultaneous opening of one or more ports in theair-conduit passage-s at points not remote from each auxiliaryreservoir. For this purpose I arrange at such various parts of theairconduit or communicating pipes as may be desired, but by preferenceat the couplings, relief-valves of the kind shown in the drawings. Inthe construction there shown the valve-box forms a part of the couplingitself.

The aperture A of the valve-box is seated in the lateral port-opening ofthe coupling B, so f as to come in the line of the fiow of air throughthe brake-pipe, hose, and couplings. I

The aperture A communicates with the port of the next half-coupling, andthe aperture B leads to hose and brake-pipe. A third aperture, 0, opensto the external air.

Within the valve-box is a piston, D, with holes (1 through it, coveredby a valve, E, held down by a spring, 0. On the stem of the piston isfixed a valve, F, which covers the aperture (3.

When compressed air enters the valve-box by the aperture A from thefront portion of the communicating pipe, it raises by its pressure thevalve E, passes through the holes d in the piston D, keeps the valve Fclosed, and passes on by the passage B and aperture B to the hinder partof the pipe to charge the auxiliary reservoirs, in the usual way. Butshould the pressure in the front part of the pipe communicating with Abe reduced intentionally or by accident, then, the valve E closing theholes in the piston D, that piston is pressed down by the pressure fromB, and the valve F is drawn from its seat, leaving the orifice 0 openfor the escape of air from the hinder portion of the pipe whichcommunicates with B 5 and by giving the piston D and valve E asufficientlength of stroke or motion, such that it will drop below theshoulder s, an open passage-way will be formed for the escape offluid-pressure from the enlarged space or port to .9 and thence out atO. In this way provision is made for the escape of fluid-pressurethrough 0 from hinder portions of it had to flow all the way to theescape-aperture, which might be near its front part, and is usually onthe locomotive.

' The same device may be applied'at any part of the communicating pipes19 by making therein, across the bore of the pipe, a ported diaphragm,

, 0, Fig. 3, such as is used in ordinary stop-cocks,

and arranging therein a relief-valve of the construction described, asshown in said Fig. 3 and so far as relates to the relief-valve, the

ported diaphragm 0 and the ported part B ofthe coupling are themechanical equivalents each of the other. The form or construction ofthe relief-valve, its function and operation being. substantiallyretained, may be varied considerably, in so far as it is an element inthe described combination, without any material departure from the scopeof the invention.

I am aware of the prior use of escape-valves, in combination withbrake-cylinders, for the purpose of effecting a reduction of theworking-pressure in such cylinders 5 but in the present invention theescape-valve enters into combination not only with the brake-cylinder,but also with the auxiliary reservoir, and in such a manner as to securea result the reverse of th at just stated-viz, to facilitate thecharging of the compressed air from the auxiliary reservoir into thebrake-cylinder.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. In combination with thebrake-cylinders and auxiliary reservoirs of an automatic-brakeapparatus, a ported diaphragm arranged in the line of fluid-pressurecommunication, and a valve device, which, under operative fluidpressure,closes the external air or escape port, and opens a through passage-wayfor the air, and on the reduction of air-pressure in the mainair-conduit, by accident or otherwise, will open the escape-port,substantially as set forth.

2. A relief -valve applied directly to and made as a part of a coupling,the combination of such two elements being substantially as described.

3. The valves E F, and ported piston I), in combination with ports orways A B 0, substantially as set fOIlh.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 'my hand.

